INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PEOPLES DIET AND THEIR SMOKING-HABITS - THE DIETARY AND NUTRITIONAL SURVEY OF BRITISH ADULTS

Objective-To compare diet, nutrient intakes, and biochemical measures between smokers and non-smokers. Design-Analysis of data collected in cross sectional survey conducted in 1986 and 1987. Subjects were recru ited from electoral wards in England, Wales, and Scotland to reflect t he regional distribution of the population. Subjects-2197 subjects (70 % of those asked) aged between 16 and 64 undertook dietary assessment. Of these, 1842 subjects were considered to have kept a record typical of their usual dietary intake and had given data on smoking, and thei r results were analysed: 1224 non-smokers (631 men), 359 light smokers (166 men), and 259 heavy smokers (153 men). Main outcome measures-Dif ferences in dietary, nutrient, and biochemical measures between non-sm okers and smokers. Results-Smokers ate more white bread, sugar, cooked meat dishes, butter, and whole milk and less wholemeal bread, high fi bre breakfast cereals, fruit, and carrots. Smokers had lower intakes o f poly-unsaturated fat, protein, carbohydrate, fibre, iron, carotene, and ascorbic acid. Adjusting for other covariates did not substantiall y alter the pattern of intakes. At the same dietary intake of caroteno ids smokers were more likely to have lower circulating serum beta caro tene concentrations than non-smokers. Conclusions-The diet and nutrien t intakes and circulating levels of nutrients of smokers were differen t from those of non-smokers. Smokers were more likely to have an imbal ance between the dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients and the metab olic demand for antioxidant protection. This imbalance is likely to ma ke smokers more susceptible to oxidative damage. Smokers are at increa sed risk of chronic disease because their diets are different and beca use smoking creates an altered pattern of demand for specific nutrient s. The diets of smokers not only fail to meet the unusual requirements for specific nutrients to satisfy the altered pattern of demand but a re likely to exacerbate the damage caused by smoking.